


Extras, Randoms, etc.

by 13_Ravens



Series: The Listenerverse [2]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Blood Magic (Dragon Age), Drinking, F/M, Female-Male Friendship, Friends that commit forbidden magic together stay together, Friendship, Gen, Magic, Magic Lessons, Magical Theory, Mentions of Blood, Mild Language, Pro-Blood Magic, Very Mild Mentions of Wounds
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-21
Updated: 2020-02-21
Packaged: 2021-02-27 22:55:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,866
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22833649
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/13_Ravens/pseuds/13_Ravens
Relationships: Female Lavellan & Dorian Pavus, Female Mage Lavellan & Dorian Pavus, Original Female Character(s) & Dorian Pavus, Original Female Mage Character(s) & Dorian Pavus, Original Non-Inquisitor Lavellan(s) & Dorian Pavus
Series: The Listenerverse [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1641409
Comments: 6
Kudos: 7





	1. Contents

**Chapter One: Dorian's First Blood Magic Lesson**

Exactly what it says on the tin.

Elena begins Dorian's blood magic lessons, as requested by Raicheda.

Lesson One: Forget Everything You Think You Know and Let's Start Again


	2. Dorian's First Blood Magic Lesson

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For Raicheda

A confident knock on the door to her chambers drew Elena’s attention away from her reading. She placed a leaf in the book –she'd found it earlier in the week and found the colours quite remarkable so had decided to keep it- to mark her progress before gently shutting the covers as she rose gracefully to her feet. Elena placed the book in its slot on the shelf before walking over to the door and removing her protections as she approached. She opened it slowly, casually hiding the dagger she’d conjured as a precautionary measure behind her back in case a foolish yet polite assassin waited for her on the other side. Seeing that her companion for the evening was none other than Thalia’s Tevene companion, Elena stepped aside, and allowed the magic holding the dagger together to dissipate.

Dorian strode inside and briefly cast his eyes around her quarters (he was the first of their companions to view it), before wandering over to where Elena had just moved from. He placed an unusually large bottle of wine on the side table, and then threw himself into the clearly unused (the decorative pillows were in too perfect condition) easy chair opposite Elena’s with a surprising amount of elegance.

Elena watched from the entrance with mild mirth as Dorian made himself comfortable before she quietly closed the door and retrieved two glasses, which she placed down on the table as she took her seat. She uncorked the bottle, and noticing Dorian’s growing curiosity, made a gesture of consent, allowing him to familiarise himself with her quarters as he wished.

Elena heard Dorian making his way back downstairs, so she placed the glass she’d poured for him back on the table positioned between their chairs, and waited patiently for him to finish his inspection, which was now focussed on the fireplace in front of them, or rather, on its lack of chimney.

“Aside from the fact that they are trying to poison you, the people who outfitted this room did a splendid job.” He commented as he retook his seat.

“Smokeless coal; re-gifted by Thalia. A recent dwarven invention and obscenely expensive to outsiders, or so I'm told. I had the same concerns, but as long as I do not attempt to burn anything aside from the coal, I will be fine.”

Elena could use runes to heat the place up, certainly, but she liked the authenticity of a fire; she liked the way the flames danced as they twisted and turned through the air.

“Good to know.” He said before reaching for his glass. “Catching blacklung is _not_ on my to-do list.”

Elena watched as he took a deep drink of his wine, savouring the taste before swallowing it down.

“I can see that being related to the Inquisitor does have its perks. Don’t suppose there’s a distant uncle from Tevinter you’d like to insert into your lineage? I’m a very convincing liar when I need to be.”

Elena’s lips quirked in amusement, which she hid behind her glass as she took a drink.

“Thalia is simply trying to claw her way back into my good graces.” She stated.

“Oh?”

Elena swirled the wine in her glass as she considered how truthful her answer would be.

“My daughter has proven herself to be disappointingly untrustworthy of late.”

“That’s quite the feat.” He remarked. “How ever did she manage that?”

“She has wholeheartedly thrown her support behind this Inquisition, and as part of doing so seen fit to reveal certain details to her advisors that I wished to remain hidden.” Elena gripped her glass tighter. Just thinking about what Thalia had done sent irritation shooting through her.

“Well, she is officially responsible for all our fates now. Perhaps she deemed such details necessary to the continued success of the Inquisition?”

Elena huffed before she replied.

“I understand, however a title does not give her the right to reveal certain details of my past to self-righteous religious fanatics without first seeking my consent, especially when she knew in no uncertain terms that I did not wish for those parts to be publicised.”

Dorian surprised her then by laughing. He took another long drink as he waved his hand dismissively through the air, light dancing over the walls as it reflected from all his jewellery.

“You think anyone who utters the Maker’s name is a fanatic, so much so that it barely counts as an insult anymore.”

‘ _Dorian... may have a point_ ’, she thought as she privately decided that she might have been slightly dramatic just then.

“Besides,” he continued, “it can’t have been all that bad; you’re still here after all. What did she tell them?”

Elena chuckled aloud then.

“I expect you’ll find out soon enough.” She said, with a hint of derision. “On a similar note, have you discussed these lessons with anyone?”

“Of course not, what was I to tell them? That I, who calls Tevinter my homeland, am having a clandestine meeting with the revered Herald of Andraste’s mother, who just happens to be a practicing blood mage? We’d be hanged by sunrise.”

Elena took little notice of his sarcasm, though a simple ‘no’ would have sufficed.

“Good. For now let them make up their own rumours. I expect they will be some source of amusement for us both.”

“You do realise they're going to assume we’ve been engaging in barbarous sexual acts, yes?”

“Of course.” Elena replied with a slight smirk. “I’m looking forward to testing the creativity of the Inquisition.”

Then, as if obeying some silent command, Dorian and Elena tapped their glass against the others with a clink before downing the rest of the wine, which thankfully was promptly refreshed by Dorian. The pair sat in silence for a few moments whilst they both sipped their drink, before Elena spoke and split the air.

“Don’t be alarmed.”

She didn’t allow Dorian enough time to question what she meant as she instantly pushed her magic away from her body and activated the runes she’d concealed all around her chambers. In unison, every privacy and safety ward she’d written came to life, and any noise from the outside world was cut off as they became secluded in their bubble of absolute seclusion.

Dorian's eyes snapped to hers, and any glib comment died on the tip of his tongue when he saw the serious expression on her face.

“This room is sealed off from the outside world. Nobody can get in or out without my permission. Another mage won’t be able to get through, nor will a templar. This is as close to complete solitude as we are to get in this castle. Before we continue, I must ask that anything discussed between us relating to blood magic remains within these walls. We will not mention anything to another soul, not even in passing, until such a time where we mutually agree to dissolve this arrangement.”

“Of course.” Dorian immediately agreed. His answer lacked any of his usual sarcasm, proving to Elena that he was taking this as seriously as required.

“We cannot be too careful. Although they deny it, this organisation has close ties to the Chantry- you only need to look at who ordered its reforming, and the former positions certain members of the advisory team and inner circle held.”

“Indeed.”

“As such, I feel that taking a simple blood oath would be the best way to ensure our safety.”

Elena watched Dorian pale, and spoke again before he could refuse on principle.

“I understand you may be reluctant, so please allow me to explain what this would entail.” Elena waited for Dorian’s nod, hesitant though it was, before she continued.

“We would not be bound to each other, but to the agreement we come to, and only for as long as we both deem appropriate. We would be forming a contact, but instead of writing on paper and signing on the dotted line, we visual it as part of a spell. Said spell would be powered by our magic and willpower, so a small amount of blood from each of us would be necessary. Not only that, but using our blood personalises the promise so that it doesn’t interfere with any agreements we may have with other people. Does that make sense?”

Dorian considered her words, idly twirling the end of his moustache before he answered.

“What you’re suggesting would essentially be a pinky promise, but with blood?”

‘ _A pinky what?_ ’ Elena questioned. It wasn’t long before a familiar presence slid against her mind and filled it with images of children locking their little fingers together and moving their arms up and down in the mimicry of a handshake as they spoke promises to each other. ‘ _Humans make binding promises using nothing more than small fingers and a jerky movement? No wonder they’re always at war._ ’ Elena mocked privately.

“They have similarities, yes.” She took another drink and glanced briefly at the fire before she turned back to Dorian. “I would not have suggested this had I not thought it necessary. You are not alone with your concerns. As I understand you have yours, surely you can understand that I, an elf, might be reluctant to bind myself to a human, especially where the human comes from a nation that openly practices slavery.”

“I’m not-” he spluttered. “I would never. I wouldn’t even know how.”

“I know, Dorian” Elena was quick to reassure him. “I know that you wouldn’t, which is why I am willing if you are. If not, then I am afraid this conversation can go no further. I will ask you to leave and we will never talk of this again. If you need time to consider it, please do so, but remember the danger you pose to both of us should you slip up.”

Elena allowed him a moment with his thoughts and sat back to watch the flames flicker in the fireplace, idly playing with loose hair at the end of her braid. She drained her glass once more refilled both glasses to the top. She could see Dorian in her peripheral, and watched the different emotions play across his face as he considered her suggestion. Elena had not lied to him- she trusted Dorian enough to know that he wouldn’t intentionally reveal the true nature of their meetings, but couldn’t deny that she’d feel a lot more secure if he _couldn’t_ endanger them both.

A heavy sigh from her left fully captured her attention.

“It’s alright; you’re right. There’s no telling how much damage a slip of the tongue might cause. I don’t like it, but I understand why we should do it.”

Dorian ran a hand through his hair, gulped down half his remaining wine, and sighed once more.

“Fasta vass. Alright. Let’s do it this I change my mind.”

Elena nodded and returned her glass to the table, gesturing for Dorian to do the same. She bent forward and with one hand retrieved a small bowl that she’d placed under her chair earlier, and with the other she reached behind her and palmed the small Silverite dagger that had been hidden in her waistband, and brought it round in front of her. She sat back in her chair, and noticing the apprehension in Dorian’s eyes, decided to explain the purpose of the equipment.

“We will both need to donate some blood for the oath. Since we don’t need a lot, I suggest we cut our palms. First, I will combine our blood, and use the mixture to write the spell, and then we will activate it. To confirm, Dorian, this will not give either one of us power over the other, nor will be we able to change the other so that they do what we will. What we are doing is similar to a low-level compulsion, but less insidious.”

“As comforting as that is, I’m more concerned about the fact that you keep knifes hidden in your knickers.” Dorian snarked in an effort to hide his nervousness Elena suspected.

“There isn’t room for larger weapons in my bindings; I’m forced to stash the remainder of my armoury about my body.” She replied evenly. “Now, a person’s blood and the life and magic within it is unique to them and only them. Even if I had an identical twin, my blood, my magic, and my life force creates a combination that is mine and mine alone. While it may be very similar to my twin’s, the subtle changes are enough to make all the difference. By using our combined blood, we are effectively telling the spell that the promise is to each other. It works the same way if there are two people, ten, or a thousand.”

Elena then drew the blade across her palm and bright red blood instantly began to pool in her hand. Her familiarity with the craft meant that she no longer flinched or cringed at the pain left in the wake of the dagger. Sadly, she wouldn’t be able to say the same for Dorian- whose grey eyes watched her every movement like a hawk- and debated on whether or not to warn him of what was to come. She rotated her hand to the side and allowed what had gathered to flow into the bowl, and once it had reached a suitable level, healed her wound.

Elena placed the bowl on the table and gestured for Dorian to reach over towards her, and once in range, positioned his hand above the bowl. She struck quickly. Dorian barely had time to feel the cut of the blade itself before the throbbing of the wound took over. He instinctively tried to jerk his hand back towards himself, but having foreseen this, Elena had clamped her hand around his wrist in an unyielding grip. Dorian’s wound was deeper than hers was, so it only took a few minutes for him to make a donation sufficient for her needs, though she may have encouraged his blood to join hers quicker than normal in a bid to limit his pain.

After having healed Dorian, but not before erasing any trace of blood from the dagger, she released his arm and tucked the weapon back into her waistband. Elena rose to her feet, carrying the bowl with her left hand, and used her middle and index finger of her right to stir the warm mixture within it. Dorian retch loudly once he noticed what she was doing, but Elena ignored him and instead set about drawing a glyph that sat on the very air itself that consisted of a complex series of shapes and signs.

Once done, Elena stood back and surveyed her work, making sure that there wasn’t a single line out of place.

“Fascinating.” He said breathlessly, his voice came from directly behind her, yanking Elena out of her bubble of concentration and almost making her jump. He was lucky. At any other time, her instincts would have demanded she gutted anyone who snuck up on her. “Is that the elven language?”

Elena considered sidestepping the question, but the part of her that approved of a job well done- the side influenced by a certain spirit- puffed up with pride at his recognition of her superior knowledge.

“Not exactly- these are elvhen symbols that represent words or ideas; they're much quicker to produce when trying to cast quickly, as some of our words can be very long and complicated. This indicates that we are taking an oath, this one binding or unbreakable, and this one means blood.” Elena explained as she gestured to each sign in turn. “The first symbol states the purpose of the spell, the second the terms, and the third the how, as in, how will it be powered? Where will the magic come from? How are we going ensure that the oath is binding?”

Dorian reached out a hand as if to touch it, but instead traced the shape of the various lines and swirls of glyph through the air.

“That’s quite remarkable. I’ve never seen anything like it before. Sadly there aren’t too many examples of written elven left anymore, or at least none that actually mean anything to anyone. Which begs the question, how in the Maker’s name did you learn this?”

“Carefully. Perhaps one day I may tell you. For now though, we have other issues to attend. If you don’t want your fear of becoming paste to come true, I'd suggest you not try to touch or recreate any of those. This kind of casting is notoriously tricky to get right; just one incorrectly placed line can literally spell disaster.”

Dorian snatched his hand back, to which Elena slightly approved.

“Now we both need to take the oath. The exact wording of the agreement is spoken within the confines of our minds, but you also need to focus on the concept of what we are trying to acheive. You remember the terms, yes? You will need to speak the words in your mind and believe them. Believe _in_ them. Our words don’t have to match exactly, but our intention does. You have to mean it when you say that you won’t discuss this with anyone else. If our objectives do not match, the spell will fail and backfire. It will be most unpleasant.”

Elena reached out slowly, and took Dorian’s wrists in hers, clasping them in a comfortable hold before she nodded her head to invite him to reciprocate. She paused for a moment to consider what a sight they made- a nervous, lavishly dressed, groomed-to-perfection Altus from Tevinter stood clinging onto a quietly confident, practically dressed elf (who happened to have a variety of weapons stashed about their person). The pair of them stood directly in front of the large glowing red glyph that pulsed quickly in time with their heartbeats. On paper, it seemed utterly ridiculous; if it weren’t for the Breach, the two of them would likely never have met.

Elena bowed her head and closed her eyes, feeling Dorian’s muscles move as he did the same. The drama of doing so wasn't necessary, but Elena did not relish the awkwardness of staring into someone’s unwavering gaze as they performed magic together- it was far too intimate for her liking.

She waited until she felt Dorian’s magic stir before taking her own vow, repeating to herself the terms they’d agreed upon. She delayed a few moments more, until the magic had built to an acceptable level before she used her own power to bridge the gap between the magic that currently flowed through Dorian’s veins, and that that was stored in the glyph.

At once, the symbols began to glow brightly, bathing the room in an intense red glow as the magics activated, causing the symbols to fizz and spark as the power reached them. Elena began to feel the pressure on her increase as the atmosphere grew heavy until it suddenly dissipated, causing her ears to pop, which signalled the spell’s completion.

Elena opened her eyes, knowing that the power of the spell had burnt any evidence of the glyph from the air. The only proof of their spell work remained in a tiny corner of Elena’s brain, where the magic waited to act should it need to prevent a wagging tongue. If she didn’t already know what to look for, Elena would easily have missed its presence.

Elena released Dorian from her grasp, which caused him to open his own eyes, and sat back down on her chair once more. The hardest part was over, leaving them free to explore the theory of this particular school of magic.

“Congratulations Dorian, you have just helped me perform a difficult bit of forbidden magic.”

“You said it was a simple spell.” Dorian stated with a small amount of accusation in his voice.

“Simple for me? Yes. Difficult for a beginner? Certainly.” Elena plucked her wine up from the side table and drained what was left in one go. “Now, time for a break I think. Would you kindly fetch that basket of pastries from the desk?”

Dorian did as he was asked with no complaints, and Elena watched his every move carefully, waiting. After having received the basket, Elena lifted the lid and took out two small plates from within before reaching in once more and bringing out numerous small boxes.

“I look the liberty of procuring us some snacks for the evening. One cannot learn properly on an empty stomach after all. Please, help yourself.”

The pair of them ate and drank in comfortable silence for a short while, content to focus on their enjoyment of the flavours contained within the pastries Elena provided them. Roughly half an hour later, the food was all gone, and the pair were ready to continue. Before they did that though, Elena had some thoughts she wished to share regarding their cover story.

“We should say we’ve started a book club, or perhaps a wine tasting club.”

Dorian considered the idea for a moment.

“A fine idea; naturally I had the same. I’d wager a wine club would be safer, everyone will assume that it’s just an excuse for us to get together, drink, and gossip in private.”

“True.” Elena replied, seeing the merit to his words. “They may even appreciate that we’re doing it out of earshot, so as not to offend the sensibilities of everyone around us.”

“Why, we should receive an award for our kindness. A title at the very least, perhaps even a country estate.”

Elena chuckled at Dorian’s glibness.

“Now, Lord Thoughtful, shall we begin?”

“Aah yes indeed. The sooner we begin, the sooner I can protect myself from those pesky Tevinters.”

“Do you have much knowledge of blood magic?” Elena asked.

“Not an overwhelming amount, no. Growing up, I was taught that blood magic was the tool of weak-minded fools who didn’t possess enough power personally, so had to resort to underhanded and perverted methods to make up for their own inadequacies.”

“By your father no doubt.”

“Just so. Clearly he never met you.”

Elena ignored the blatant flattery, though it was nice to have her skills acknowledged.

“Sadly, he’s not completely wrong. Over time, blood magic as a craft has been perverted by the ignorant and the Chantry. Firstly, if you have any notions that it or its users are evil, you need to cast them aside. The craft is no more good or evil than any other school of magic; it is the will of the caster that determines if magic is beneficial, or if it is harmful. Classing one area of magic as ‘bad’ is short sighted and closed minded. Magic is not good and it is not bad; it simply is. It is this principle that most people struggle with. Take the Chantry for example, it does not understand magic, but how can they? There are no mages in its ranks, only the mundane, which means that they never will. Instead they resort to locking away those that can wield magic, and they preach about something they are unable to understand at a basic level.

“To understand how to defend against blood magic, you must first understand how it works. I will begin by discussing the fundamentals as I believe them to be. However before I do that, I will quickly answer the most common misconceptions regarding the craft. Should you be interested, we can discuss the answers more thoroughly at a later date. Now, did I learn from a demon? No, that’s ridiculous. Anyone with sufficient knowledge can teach it to others, as I am doing to you now.

“Does it weaken my connection to the fade? Yes, and no. If I ignore the fade in favour of blood, the part of me that can access the traditional source will weaken from disuse. Provided I do not solely rely on one power source or the other, I can easily cast using both. That is the book one, page one answer. There is a humongous amount more to it than that though. Any questions or concerns so far?”

Dorian gestured for her to continue.

“Am I at more of a risk of possession than another mage? In theory, yes. In reality, no. Prolonged use of blood magic in a specific area weakens the veil, therefore meaning that spirits have an easier time of accessing this world. Providing one is knowledgeable enough, conversations or transactions with spirits are relatively harmless. At the risk of sounding immodest, I’ve been doing this for long enough to know how to interact with spirits safely. As such, no spirit will inhabit me unless I allow it.”

“Transactions? Are you referring to making a deal with a demon?” Dorian asked with incredulity.

“In a sense. Are we not doing something similar now? I am sharing my knowledge, and in turn, you are keeping quiet about any unconventional interests I might hold. A spirit may wish to share a part of their history and ask you to do the same. Sometimes the only payment they require is company. It is down to the mage in question to assess whether or not they think the price is worth it. You should be at peace though; I am not teaching you how to use blood magic, just how to defend against it, so you should be at little risk.”

Dorian wasn’t convinced, Elena could tell, but she carried on regardless.

“What blood is best? A strong mage- preferably an elf, though I imagine a Saarebas’ blood packs quite a punch. The power in blood comes from the magic of the person donating it, and their zest for life. For instance, did you know that your slaves actually make a poor choice, hence why you have to sacrifice so many of them? While your slave may experience a brief moment of desperation to survive, blood given freely will always be more powerful than blood forcefully taken.”

“Maker...” Elena watched with detachment as the full implications of what she’d revealed slowly dawned on Dorian, and horror filled his expression.

“Indeed. I did mention that you were using it ineffectively. Back on subject, you already know that blood mages can tell when and if blood is of poor quality. The most common source of low-grade blood is from a donor with ill health, or from an animal. Where possible, always avoid using animal blood; it is beyond substandard. Frankly, it’s embarrassing that people resort to those measures. There is one exception to this that I won’t explain the why of- dragon’s blood, but good luck obtaining it.

“As well as being able to detect illness in another, we can also cure it, with varying degrees of difficulty and success. The Blight is the hardest illness to remove from someone- yet alone destroy it - but again, you should already know this thanks to Redcliffe. Similarly, one should not try to poison a blood mage of any calibre, as they will know instantly and be appropriately equipped to deal with the issue, which includes you.

“Lastly, beneficial uses of blood magic include re-growing limbs, determining possession, keying locks to a specific person, restoring failing crops, and the templar’s favourite use of blood magic- tracking a person.” Elena leaned back in her chair and noticed that the first bottle of wine was finally empty. “I see that I have given you much to think about. I will leave you to process what you have learnt as I retrieve a fresh bottle from my trunk.”

Elena stood and collected their empty glasses from the side table and placed them on the desk where they'd been originally. She left Dorian staring into the fire, before slowly making her way upstairs and across the floor to her trunk. Elena picked out two different bottles, trying to decide which one she’d prefer. In the end, she went for the cheaper option, unwilling to waste a high quality vintage on what came next, and took it downstairs.

Dorian barely paid any notice to her, so after she’d filled both glasses, she surreptitiously opened a vein and allowed a trickle of her blood to drip into the bottle. She swirled the liquid around, thankful they were drinking red that evening, as the taste and colour would work perfectly to disguise the blood she’d added. Elena twirled around and returned to her spot in front of the fire, and handing Dorian his glass back as she passed him.

“Would you like to continue?” she asked quietly.

“Yes of course. It’s just a lot to take in. It’s not every day someone openly talks about the forbidden school of magic in this much detail. Even at home this knowledge isn’t shared openly. I am beginning to understand why you say it’s been misused.”

“As I briefly explained, the power of blood magic comes from the magical ability of the person donating the blood, as well as their vivacity. Modern teachings dictate that blood magic is powered by what is commonly referred to as ‘the magic of life’. This is misleading. Depending on your goal, the spell is powered either by magic, or by life, but rarely both.

“In addition to this, blood magic comes with a price to pay; control over life is not something that comes cheap. I mentioned that one could re-grow a severed limb, yes? It is valuable knowledge, and should be quite sought after in wartime. However the person undergoing the procedure will be in unbearable amounts of pain. That is not hyperbole; when I say the target will be in pain, I mean that the agony they will experience runs the risk of shattering their mind. Their suffering will be beyond anything you can start to imagine. As such, re-growing a limb isn’t something to undertake lightly, and even if desperate, you should never cast the spell on yourself. Do whatever it is you need to do in order to ensure you aren’t at risk of bleeding out, and then afterwards find yourself an expert to assist.”

Elena’s tone was completely matter of fact, as if she was discussing nothing more than the rumour of oncoming precipitation. Her frankness, she suspected, was one of the reasons Dorian’s face had paled considerably once again.

“I almost don’t want to ask, but how exactly do you know the “price”?”

Elena swilled the remaining mixture in her glass as she considered the wording of her answer.

“I saw it happen.” She looked over at Dorian’s twitching moustache and knew that unfortunately her answer wouldn't be permitted to remain so vague. She sighed. “I once stumbled upon some a group of ex-circle members. They attempted to use blood magic on me and I rendered it ineffective, which shocked them all enough to stop casting. We gathered, exchanged views and ideas, and undertook a spot of experimenting- one of the group had lost an arm during their escape.”

“Fascinating. What happened next?”

“Despite the fact that the man in question had been warned that he’d be uncomfortable, and even though he’d mentally prepared himself for it, he snapped. You see during the re-grow he felt the creation of it all- bones, muscles, nerves, skin, and everything else. It was too much for him, and he turned- for lack of a better word- feral. We had to put him down.”

“Naturally. One cannot have undomesticated maleficarum terrorising the local populace. Why, your reputation would fall into shambles.” Dorian drained the last of his wine. “What occurred then? You parted ways, vowing never to speak of the event again? No wait, don’t tell me, you remain pen pals to this day, and even send each other the occasional gift?”

“I killed them all.” Elena stated plainly.

“Maker’s heaving bosom; there’s a plot twist! Whatever for?”

“They were a threat to the people around them. Animals were going missing from farms, along with the odd worker. Crops were harvested without permission, and people’s clothes were disappearing.”

“To the point where it caught your attention; you, a random well-wishing passerby, who decided to do something about it?” Dorian's tone was laced with scepticism, as if he doubted Elena’s ability to act altruistically, which wasn’t unreasonable she acknowledged, and as if he knew he wasn’t given the full story, which he wasn’t.

“Is this really what you want to spend your time discussing right now?” Elena asked, allowing a dose of low-level irritation to enter her voice.

“Absolutely I do. You’ve led the most interesting life; your stories are riveting. Although judging from your scowl, I suspect I’ve answered incorrectly and failed the test.”

Dorian closed his eyes, held his hand up for silence, and breathed in deeply. ‘ _What in the void?_ ’ Elena thought, vaguely wondering if Dorian's mind had collapsed under the influx of information.

“Savour this moment, dear Elena, for when my true brilliance is finally recognised across Thedas, people will be desperate to hear the story of my first and only mistake.”

‘ _Oh for the love of-!_ ’ she needed another drink.

“Refill?” he asked, not really waiting for an answer before pouring with a self-satisfied grin on his face.

Once he’d topped up their glasses, Dorian sat back down and gestured for Elena to continue one last time.

“Due to your peers, I suspect that you would be a target for having your will manipulated, which I will eventually teach you to resist. I will also show you how to detect poison and other such unwanted ingredients, as one can never to too careful. Before that though, I will explain to you why it is that mages are an excellent source of power; it’s the raw, unmolded magic held within our blood. Such power can be altered, twisted, and where possible formed into something similar to a compulsion.

“Will manipulation can be incredibly subtle. It can be a gradual process akin to chipping down a wall day by day over an extended period, or it can be an obnoxious display of prowess. Either way, the same basic principle is that one person’s will is overpowering someone else’s.”

Elena was pleased to note that Dorian had begun to look somewhat frightened at the prospects she’d outlined, as well he should.

“One of the main considerations when looking to control someone is how you approach the issue. If pressed for time, you could bind someone with your blood by painting it on someone’s skin and controlling their movements as you desired. As you might imagine however, this method doesn’t look natural so is easy to detect.” Elena paused, and used the moment to take a deep drink before swallowing, heightening the tension in the room somewhat.

“The second- and much more common way due to its detection difficulty- is to lace someone’s food or drink. By unknowingly consuming your blood, your target has done you a great favour.”

Elena pointedly swirled her wine before taking another small sip. Dorian leapt to his feet, dropping his wine as if it burnt him. The glass tumbled to the floor where it shattered, shards shooting away from the epicentre, and Elena frowned as she watched the liquid it used to hold seeping into the fibres of her rug, likely staining it permanently.

“What the-? What is _wrong_ with you? I’m so bloody stupid. I should have bloody realised what you’d done earlier when I first suspected that the wine tasted different. Fasta vass! It’s one thing to force me into doing a spell with you, but to have the gall to use it on me, unwillingly-”

“Sit down, Dorian.” Elena asked calmly.

“After I told you how I felt when I discovered my father’s plan, you still went and did this. You know, you and he-”

“ENOUGH!” Elena boomed as she stood, throwing enough magic and force behind her voice that the word echoed throughout the room, and the contents of her shelves and tables began to shake where they lay. Phantom wings made of shadow appeared behind her and grew in size, spreading their way out across the walls until the only light in the room was that given by the fire.

Dorian’s eyes grew wide and unblinking as he tracked Elena walking slowly towards him. He retreated from the threat on shaking and jerky limbs, stumbling backwards until he fell into his seat. Elena stopped her approach, tilting her head to the side as she listened to his frantic breathing and the frenzied beating of his heart.

“Think back to earlier, Dorian.” Elena began in a deceptively calm tone. “After you savoured your moment, I decided I wanted a refill. You were only too happy to acquiesce.” She waited until his expression cleared a touch, taking it as a sign that he was indeed doing as he was told. “How did it feel when you chose to obey?”

“I- It felt. I mean. I felt nothing. It didn’t feel right, but it didn’t feel wrong either. I just... did it, and didn’t think twice.” He stammered. “It was the bloody polite thing to do...”

Elena easily ignored the small pang she felt in her chest as she heard Dorian’s voice pitched highly before it cracked and broke and trailed off.

“Did you feel pressured at all? A sudden urge? Perhaps one that you could have ignored, but doing so would have made you uncomfortable? Think carefully before you answer.”

Elena withdrew fully then and sat back down in her seat, having already pulled back the shadows and tucked her magic back inside her body.

“No. I noticed that our glasses were empty and just... the thought didn’t really come to me, I just acted. On impulse I suppose.” His body lost all its tension as he crumpled in his seat, back bowed as he cradled his head in his hands. “Maker’s breath; I had no idea. I didn’t even begin to suspect. How do you defend against something so insidious? Something so-”

“Remember this feeling Dorian.” Elena interjected, halting his spiralling. “Remember what it felt like to make a choice of your own free will. Remember the lack of pressure. Remember how it feels to do something just because you wanted to, because manners dictated that it was the proper thing to do. One day, it might save you.”

Elena swirled her finger over her wine and watched as the liquid split- her blood rose away from the main body whilst the wine lost momentum and stilled. She flipped her hand so that her palm faced upwards and watched as a whirlpool of blood twisted and writhed in the centre.

“This is my blood.” She explained. “The only person tonight who drunk any of my blood is me. A mage’s blood is extremely valuable; a skilled mage even more so. Blood mages know this, and aren’t frivolous.”

Elena tilted her hand over the rim of her glass and tipped the blood back into the wine.

“I am sorry I frightened you Dorian, but I needed to impress upon you just how easy it is to introduce foreign matter into someone’s food or drink. I needed you to know- to remember and never forget- what it felt like to make a choice of your own volition.”

Dorian gazed into fire, still slumped in his chair.

“Had my father been a bit more knowledgeable there would have been no way for me to stop him would there?” He murmured. Elena sat there silently, knowing Dorian didn’t need or want an answer, that he was simply voicing his thoughts aloud. “As a beginner he likely didn’t have the finesse needed for such a spell. If he’d gone through with it, I'd be a drooling vegetable right now. Unrecognisable; a shadow of my former self.”

Dorian looked forlornly at the wine spilt earlier before putting his hands on the chair arms and pushing himself up slowly, as if the knowledge he’d received tonight was physically weighing him down.

“I... I understand why you felt the need to do what you did. Or at least I think I will, but... I need time to myself. To digest I suppose. I... yes.”

Elena removed the wards from earlier with a lazy wave and said nothing as Dorian trudged past her towards the door. With a quiet good night as he parted, Dorian left. Elena thought for a moment before asking Knowledge to follow him back to his room to make sure he made it safely in his distracted state. Knowledge sent a dose of understanding and agreement down their bond before doing as they’d been asked, showing Elena the images in a live feed. Once safely tucked away in the confinement of his room, Elena distanced herself from the sprit, grabbed the unfinished bottle of wine, and began drinking the contents- blood and all- as she replayed the events of the evening. Overall, she concluded, their first lesson had been exceedingly successful.


End file.
